The Haunting Of Bly Manor: Underwhelming Middle
- Story Doctor
- Oct 22, 2020
- 2 min read
Engaging like the 'Hillhouse' but dragging middle killed some points. The ending makes you forget about the middle.
Personal Rating: 4.5/5
STARRED
Script: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Engagement: 4/5
Pacing: 3/5
Acting: 5/5
Background Music: 4/5
Cinematography: 5/5
Theme: 5/5
Satisfaction: 5/5
What else is a ghost except for an attachment to life among the living?
A horror where emotion and character development are more important than screaming banshees zooming in at you on the camera.
Once again, the Bly Manor's story, set in England, was as different as the previous installment with the Hillhouse. It has great character development and an excellent theme just as the previous one. However, you might find the pacing in episode 5-7 quite dragging. The repeated scenes, at times, felt not working as fluently as it should have.
And the part about "You, me, and us" needed a few more explanations. Why saying it worked like magic--this part was unclear.
Yet, it still would stun you at times for those excellent stage-play level acting and larger-than-life dialogues. So far, the best dialogue was the one delivered by the Gardener--the one about the Moonflower. The part where she says:
"...The mines were so dead, but the garden has so much that is alive..."
You will like these moments. The omniscient pov of the storyteller had an engaging voice too. In the episode where the backstory of the Lady of the Lake comes to light, you'll find suddenly back-to-the-story again. You will also like the poetic repetitions and the 'perfectly splendid' acting of the two extremely talented children.
Overall, if you keep patience in the middle few episodes, you won't regret watching it. You will know what attachment to objects does to the human soul.
Did you watch it, too? Do you feel similar? Or do you disagree? Let's discuss as fellow story-lovers!
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